The present invention relates generally to a printing press and specifically to a printed product cutting and folding apparatus and method.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,979 discloses a rotary folding apparatus with a special cylinder arrangement for web-fed rotary printing presses. After a desired mode of operation, first and second cross-fold or delta-fold, has been pre-set and respective folding jaws have been positioned, the formation of the first cross-fold occurs by pushing or tucking copies or signatures into the folding jaws with the aid of tucker blades on a tucker blade cylinder, the folding jaws being in either a first or second position, depending upon the mode of operation. The copies or signatures formed with a first cross-fold are removed from the circumference of the folding jaw cylinder by a gripper bar of a gripper cylinder. Tucker blades of the gripper cylinder push or tuck the copies or signatures into the suitably positioned folding jaws of the folding jaw cylinder so as to form the second cross-fold or the delta-fold.
U.S. Patent Pub. 2003/0096688 discloses a variable circumference folder. From a gathering cylinder, products are transferred from pin systems into folding jaws of a folding-jaw cylinder by a folding blades under control to produce a first crossfold. The products may then be subjected to further folds using known techniques. For example, a double parallel or delta-fold is produced by the products being transferred to gripper systems of a second crossfold cylinder and pushed into folding jaws of the folding-jaw cylinder by folding blades.